Description
Raffinose is one of the best-known of nature's trisaccharides, made by combining galactose, fructose and glucose, it is also known as melitriose or honey triose. Melitriose is a functional oligosaccharide with a strong proliferative effect on bifidobacteria.
Raffinose is mainly found in cotton seeds and sugar beets, which are common agricultural crops. In industrial production, α-galactose kinase (α-GAL) hydrolyzes raffinose to sucrose and galactose to increase sucrose production from sugar beets.